David Arquette made a name for himself in the Scream trilogy and since then has had a long career in television and film. But for his directorial debut, 0The Tripper, Arquette has gone back to the horror genre, this time infusing it with political overtones. The Tripper is about a Ronald Reagan-obsessed serial killer that targets a bunch of hippies.

While some may be surprised that Arquette may be stepping into directing, it is no shock because he comes from one of the most talented and prolific Hollywood legacies ever. The Arquette family in show business started with Cliff Arquette, better known as Charley Weaver and spawned Lewis Arquette and Davids sisters Patricia and Rosanna. Most recently Arquette stepped back into television with the sitcom In Case of Emergency and co-producing Courteney Coxs show Dirt. I got a chance to talk with the first time director after his long grassroots bus tour promoting The Tripper.

David Arquette: Its going well. Im back home because the premiere is tonight but the bus tour went really well. I made a lot of friends and got the word out. I was in a bunch of different cities shaking hands and kissing some babies. But it went well. Its been an interesting experience so far.

DRE: With Joe Harris co-writing and Steve Niles producing, I would imagine youre a big comic book fan.

DA: I do enjoy comics but I havent kept up with them as I did when I was young. Steve and Thomas [Jane] have a first look deal with Lionsgate. So we approached Lionsgate first but they didnt get it so we decided to do it on our own.

DRE: This is first thing youre credited with writing but have you done it before?

DA: Yeah, Ive always loved writing. Im more of a stream of consciousness kind of guy. So I spit out a very long crazy draft of the script and then Joe came and helped me with the structure of it and brought tons of stuff to the table. He honed the political tones and really made it a realistic possible film. A lot of it was there but it was just all over the place. We went back and forth. Hed send me a draft, Id rewrite, Id send it back to him, hed revise and send it back to me, we just kept doing that until we whittled it down and honed it. Then it changed on set as well.

DRE: Did you choose to do a horror film because you have all that horror credibility from being in the Scream films?

DA: Partially, but also because I love horror films and its also easier to get a horror film financed than a lot of other films because they have such a loyal fanbase. There is also a lack of boundaries within horror films. You can have sex, drugs and violence.

DRE: Were there horror films that you took as a jumping off point?

DA: I did learn a lot from Scream and watching Wes [Craven]. One time I watched Wes in a movie theater watching people watch Scream. He was giggly, just like a little kid and whenever people would laugh and scream, he would get such a kick out of it. I was like, Man, thats the best. So I wanted to make a film that was funny and still had scares in it and was a throwback to the 70s slasher movies. It was something that was pretty extreme as far as exploiting this hippie world and the Republican world. We combined them to have fun with it.

DRE: Was part of the idea of you doing this movie to put your politics out there?

DA: A little bit, yeah. In a lot of horror films, the killers sometimes considered the hero, so I wanted to have that element. But Im definitely liberal and some of Reagans politics tie into why the killers so obsessed with him. Thats tied into something I saw when I was a kid. As a result of Reagan cutting mental health care almost overnight I saw homeless people like Id never seen before. I always wanted to explore that a little but ultimately its just a crazy freakadelic slasher movie with some politics. The one major thing I wanted to show was that the American presidents are the true killers of this world. Theyre the psychopaths and mass murderers who sign pieces of paper that allow men and women to go blow each others brains out overseas or wherever. The idea that war is considered a solution is outdated.

DRE: Have you met Republicans or conservatives that have enjoyed the film without looking at it through a political prism?

DA: Some people have. Theres been a couple internet reviews from people that have liked it. I ultimately dont like politics because it only segregates people. I think the best thing we can all do is start to get on the same page about a lot of stuff and talk about a lot of things and not freak out about taboos and all the bullshit. We should just accept each other and understand each other and try to grow. Politics are a bummer especially when it leads to greed, war and evil.

I think theres really room for some progressive thinking. I did the cover of High Times recently and my publicist was like, You cant do that. I said that potheads are way closer to being cool and understanding and are closer to being on a spiritual level than a lot of groups out there. So if Im going to align myself with either the religious right or a bunch of marijuana smokers then I will always go with the marijuana smokers.

DRE:John Carpenter just did a horror movie that commented on abortion. Are politics replacing the idea of religion in horror?

DA: In a lot of ways, yeah. Politics and religion are pretty close anyway, if you ask me. When the major religions become fanatical they start to be money driven, just like politics.

DRE: Are there films that mesh politics and horror in the past that youve enjoyed?

DA: Well, The Omen was pretty good. Dawn of the Dead and They Live. But what I really liked that had a political slant was The Dead Zone [directed by David Cronenberg].

DRE: You come from a great legacy of creative people within your family. So throughout your career and especially now that youre directing, is there extra pressure because so many people in your family have done such great things?

DA: I guess theres pressure all the time. I have a weird career because I do what I want to do. A lot of people go, What the fuck is he doing? But if I enjoy wrestling, then Ill do a movie with wrestling. If I wanted to learn dancing, Id go on Dancing With The Stars. If I want to do a kids movie so my daughter can watch it, Ill do a kids movie. If I want to do something really serious and I can get the part, then Ill do something serious. But people in Hollywood dont know what to make of something like that. Its foreign to them. They dont understand that you can do different things. There is a pressure and scrutiny but I just try to do things that I find fun and enjoy and hopefully other people will enjoy them as well.

DRE: Speaking of scrutiny, how do you and your wife deal with all the bullshit tabloid magazines and TV?

DA: You got to avoid a lot of stuff but you find out about certain stories before they even get printed. In researching Dirt, my wifes show, we got to learn the world pretty well. You start to understand that its a political game and its a business. They go hand in hand to a certain extent and it becomes a little less personal when you look at it that way. I can understand that theyre just trying to go after the story and when you think of it on those terms, it doesnt sting as much. People still seem to believe the stuff they read but you dont have to.

DRE: I read that before you and your wife got together, a friend told you that she liked you but that you need to relax a bit because shes afraid of you at the same time.

DA: [laughs] Wes Craven sat me down and said Listen Courteney likes you a lot, but you got to settle down. I was doing some crazy shit at the time, my mother was dying and I was consuming a lot of extracurricular drugs. So I had to get my life together.

DRE: Did that grace period of you acting a little more normal end when you got the ring on her finger?

DA: [laughs] No, I will never be as crazy as I was at that point in time. Im still myself and I proved to her that I was trustworthy. We were engaged for a year and we went to therapy. We learned how to deal with each other and shes really an amazing woman. Shes super supportive and caring. She lets me be myself and lets me do what I have to do for my career. Shes knows Im a madman. Shes kind of nuts too even though people dont get that impression from her.

DRE: I spoke to Kelly Hu a couple of months ago. She said that after she saw all the things you do on your show [In Case of Emergency] that you should be a stuntman.

DA: Thats awesome I love doing stunts and pratfalls. But they cut them out a lot in the show which I dont really get.

DRE: Are you hoping the movie kicks off a directing career for you because I read youre going to direct an episode of Medium?

DRE: Do you ever see yourself doing a lot less acting and focusing on directing?

DA: I really enjoy acting, its a lot of fun and its a lot less responsibility. The creative approach is a lot different because you can really play and really explore to make things interesting. But as a director, youre involved in everything. Its so much work. We created The Tripper from the ground up especially since we are distributing it ourselves. Its been amazing but I think if I decide to do it again, Id like to do it with someone else doing some of the other jobs. But then you need a studio involved in which brings its own set of problems.

DRE: Do you and Courteney think you will do a second season of Dirt?

DA: I sure hope so. People really seem to enjoy it but its weird because FX isnt sure yet. We will find out in the next couple of days. I enjoyed the show. Id like to see it going in a couple of different directions because I really think were starting to define the show. Id be interested in seeing where it goes and I love watching Courteney play that character.

DRE: Do you have any tattoos or piercings?

DA: I have one pierced ear from the New Wave days [laughs] and a bunch of tattoos. I got my mothers name on my back and I have LA on my arms with pictures of my favorite buildings. Then Ive got CC on my chest. I have a duck on my arm that is one of my favorites.

DRE: If you got a chance to screen The Tripper at The White House, would you go for it?

DA: I might. I would want to show the film just so George W. Bush would have to look at a redheaded hippies penis [laughs]. Lukas Haas has a line in the movie where someone says to him What are you talking about? and he goes Hes talking about George W. going to Iraq and sucking the cocks of all the corporate interests. I would get a major kick out of being in the same room, as hes watching that.

David Arquette made a name for himself in the Scream trilogy and since then has had a long career in television and film. But for his directorial debut, 0The Tripper, Arquette has gone back to the horror genre, this time infusing it with political overtones. The Tripper is about a Ronald Reagan-obsessed...